Mission Local will be publishing alternating campaign reports on each of the main candidates in the Mayoral election each week until November. This week it’s the London Breed. Read previous reports here.
Mayor London Breed arrived just in time.
On Wednesday evening, several dozen people gathered at the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee’s annual “Summer in the City” event at the Phoenix Hotel in the Tenderloin, where Board of Supervisors Chairman Aaron Peskin was already in attendance. Several candidates for the Board of Supervisors were also in attendance, along with City Attorney David Chiu and California State Comptroller Maria Cohen.
Alondra Esquivel García, the committee’s chairwoman and the evening’s emcee, had already spoken once, but returned to the stage to buy time and keep the audience of 50 to 60 people company until the mayor. The party lasted about 90 minutes, and when the speeches were over, some members left, returning to chat and snacks. But Esquivel García began talking about the “political house” that was the women’s committee, buying time before finding Breed behind her.
The mayor walked into the hotel courtyard, followed by his security guard and two aides, smiled at the crowd, then stepped onto the stage and took the microphone.
“It’s so great to be here with you all, including Supervisor Peskin and my opponent,” she said, as the audience laughed and Supervisor Peskin smiled. Breed spoke about the club’s founding in 2002 and its continued existence, as well as the November ballot measure she introduced last month that would add abortion protections in the city. She called 2024 “not only a big year for our community, but also a big year for the Democratic Party,” and praised the activists in the audience.
“To all of you here who are running for office, it takes a lot of courage to step out in faith and put yourself out there. I want to say to each and every one of you, except for those of you who are running against me, good luck,” she said, drawing more laughter before leaving the stage after about four minutes and staying with the crowd for about an hour to mingle.
The mayor had a busy day, but she wasn’t done yet: She filmed a morning interview with KTVU from City Hall, talking about her virtual meeting with President Biden the day before (she supports remaining in the presidential race) along with other mayors. Grants Pass The Supreme Court’s decision in late June made it easier to remove tent encampments (Judge Breed filed an amicus brief in support of lifting the ban on removal without providing shelter, and San Francisco’s lawyers are working on legal options to address the encampments now that the injunction against the city has been lifted); and in June declared that the city would lose its approval authority because it had failed to meet state-imposed deadlines for meeting housing goals (Judge Breed described the city’s current permitting process as “repeatedly obstructed”).
She spent the afternoon walking the Fillmore with her team, meeting and greeting merchants, staying at the Phoenix Hotel, a legendary rock ‘n’ roll inn in the heart of the Tenderloin that’s been visited by many rock stars, socializing and posing for photos, and apparently heading off to another engagement after leaving the women’s event.
As Breed reminded this reporter, and as she has said many times during her campaign, she has two jobs: running the city and seeking reelection.
How was she spending her time?
“I get seven to eight hours of sleep and I worked out on my Peloton this morning, and I think it’s taking a toll on my hair because I’m using too much heat,” she says, “but I’m drinking water, taking breaks, walking, reading, and moving fast.”
“I have to run the city and run for mayor,” she added. “There just aren’t enough hours in the day.”
The courtyard of the Phoenix Hotel at 601 Eddy St. has hosted legendary rock stars like David Bowie and Kurt Cobain, but on Wednesday it was filled by dozens of elected officials, their aides and other politicians. Hotel guests dipped their feet in the pool, kids ran around chased by their parents, and attendees sipped champagne and munched on flatbread and pita bread while discussing issues ranging from rent control to doula services for black women.
Breed is a founding member of the Women’s Political Caucus, a political action committee that nominates candidates and provides funding to help them get elected, with a special focus on women’s issues.
“I was just a kid, but I was one of the first people, I helped organize,” Breed said. Long before she was elected 5th District Supervisor in 2012 and “before Kamala even stood on this stage,” Breed said, she and other council members came together to get more women in politics. “We were all young, energetic Democrats who cared about women’s issues, who cared about women being elected and running for office.”
“It was a lot more social, a lot more fun,” she added. Breed was in her 20s and a young veteran of Mayor Willie Brown’s administration. She said she was one of the first candidates the Women’s Committee endorsed because he hired and appointed women. At the time, she was just a low-level staffer. “We sent out mailers, we canvassed, we helped the candidates we supported, and we became a real force.”
And that remains the case today. Though the city spends modest amounts on candidates (just $500,000 locally since 2002, according to local filings, nothing compared to the millions spent by the city’s big funders in recent years), Wednesday’s rally was a mandatory stop for several supervisor candidates and most of the mayoral candidates. Mr. Peskin arrived early; Daniel Lurie and Ayesha Safai both arrived late.
At one point, Lurie looked around the yard, saw a small pool off to the side and said he knew it well: “I got thrown in that pool once.” It was for the Tenderloin Development Authority’s annual “pool throw” fundraiser. “It wasn’t warm,” he recalled.
Supporters for the Women’s Political Committee are still being recruited, and club members will vote in August on who to support. If past spending is any indication, the group’s choice will see the distribution of tens of thousands of rupees worth of direct mail and election pamphlets, as well as a stamp of approval.
Breed last ran for office in 2018 and was elected.
Breed, meanwhile, said she doesn’t care that she’s the only woman in the race, saying, “Who doesn’t want to be mayor of San Francisco?” and that the race hinges on whether she loses.
“I definitely feel like I’m a force to be reckoned with in this field, and that’s a credit to this organization and a lot of the people that are part of it.”
